Major Characters: Sethe, Denver, Beloved, Paul D Garner, Baby Suggs, Schoolteacher
Minor Characters: Halle, Stamp Paid, Lady Jones, Ella, Mr and Mrs Garner, Mr and Miss Bodwin, Amy Denver, Paul A Garner, Paul F Garner, Sixo, Nelson Lord, Brandywine, Janey Wagon, Thirty-Mile Woman, Schoolteacher's newphews
For more information on the individual characters in Beloved, visit Sparknotes or Bookrags.
Classifying Characters
The Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is the main character of a story experiencing a conflict and has a goal. An antagonist is someone, or somthing, preventing the protagonist's goal. Protagonist Sethe
Sethe's past as a slave is dark and traumatizing. She is constantly reminded of memories murdering her daughter and of the abuse she suffered as a slave lives. Sethe spends her life trying to forget her past so she can move on. Her attempts to wipe away these memories can be seen from her ignorance of the obvious evidence that Beloved is the daughter she killed out of motherly love and mercy.
Antagonists
Beloved
When Beloved returns, Sethe soon realises that Beloved is her third child whom she had murdered to save from a fate of slavery. Beloved triggers memories of Sethe's past and forces her to live in trauma and depression.
Slavery
The memory of slavery is instilled in her everyday life. She is constantly reminded of it and it disables her from ever having a content life.
Chokecherry tree scars
The chokecherry tree is a physical reminder of her abused past.
Community
The community shun Sethe and Baby Suggs as they believe they think too highly of themselves.
For more information on protagonists, click here. For antagonists, click here.
Round and Flat Characters
Round characters are characters which are complex and realistic. Flat characters are characters which lack realistic personality. Round
Sethe
Sethe is a determined and dignified woman who does not trust men. She is very devoted to her children and tries to protect them from the emotional, physical and spiritual suffering she endured as a slave - an act that led her to kill one of her children, Beloved, in attempt to save the child from becoming a slave. The memory of this brutal act remains to haunt her daily life, years after the incident.
Denver
Denver is Sethe's daughter and Beloved's sister. She is shy, intelligent, observant, stubborn and sensitive. After years of isolation, Denver is childish and fragile, afraid of leaving home (though 18 years old). When feeling excluded from her family's attention, such as when Sethe devoted her time to Paul D and Beloved, she felt threatened, jealous and spiteful. However, her character develops as she matures into a strong-willed and responsible woman after seeing her mother's and sister's lives falling apart.
Paul D
Paul D has been physically and emotionally abused at Sweet Home (e.g. being forced to wear a bit) and being part of a chain gang. He locks up all of his feeling in his heart, or what the author describes as a "rusted tobacco tin". He believes to not become too attached to anything as love is painful.
Flat
Amy Denver
A young white girl who helps Sethe deliver Denver. She is blunt and talkative.
Schoolteacher
Schoolteacher becomes in charge of Sweet Home after Mr Garner's death. He is cruel and racist, treating the slaves like animals by punishing them and taking their measurements as if they are property.
Lady Jones
Lady Jones is half white and half black and feels alienated by the community. She teaches underprivileged children in her home.
Halle
Halle is Sethe's husband and Baby Sugg's son. Presumably, according to Paul D, he became mad after seeing Sethe attacked by Schoolteacher's two nephews.
Paul A, Paul F
Paul D's brothers and fellow Sweet Home slaves.
Sixo
One of the slaves from Sweet Home. He is Native American.
For more information on round and flat characters, click here.
Dynamic and Static Characters
A dynamic character changes significantly during the course of the story. Such changes include changes in insight, understanding, commitment and values. A static character does not make any significant changes. Dynamic
Denver
Denver is the most dynamic character in the novel as she changes throughout the book. At the beginning of the novel, she is childish and sulky. She is scared of the world outside of 124 Bluestone amd is reluctant to leave the house. She is self-centered and easily jealous. For example, when Paul D arrives at 124 Bluestone, she becomes cold towards Paul D as she feels threatened. However, when Beloved arrives. her sisterly instinct causes her to become responsible and caring to look after Beloved. Denver is forced to face her fears when she steps out of 124, looking for help. She took the initiative to get help from the community. When Paul D and Denver converse for the last time in the novel, her maturity is apparent - she has her own opinions and is as hard-headed as her mother used to be.
Static
Sethe
Sethe does not change throughout the novel. She remains the woman haunted by her past.
Paul D
Paul D does not change either. At the end of the novel, he is still the same troubled man.
For more information on dynamic and static characters, click here.
Classifying Beloved as a Character
Classifying Beloved as a round character depends on the reader's perception on Beloved and who, and what, she really is. There are many ways of interpreting Beloved. According to the narrative by Sethe and Denver, she is Sethe's third child (the child Sethe killed). Then there is the other question the reader accepts her as a character, a human being. To come to a conclusion, we can know look at the criteria used to classify a character.
Round vs Flat
Do we know a lot about Beloved? Is her character complex? Is her character realistic?
No. the reader is never truly informed of Beloved's background and personality, but through other characters' speculations.
Dynamic vs Static
Does Beloved change significantly throughout the novel?
She does not change throughout the novel. Moreover, we are given no indication of what her thoughts are (with the exception of the 2 chapters of Beloved's monologue), so we do no know whether she has developed as a character. Some may argue that a supernatural being would not be capable of thinking as humans do.
In my interpretation, Beloved is not a character for the reasons above. She is more of an enigmatic figure, forcing the reader to speculate her true identity. I think it is too vague to classify her as a character. However, an indicidual may classify Beloved as a character if they are convinced of her identity.
For example, if the reader believes Beloved is Baby Suggs brought back to life, she could be classified as round and dynamic. First of all, we already know a lot about Baby Sugg's life - Sweet Home, Halle buying her freedom, 124 Bluestone, looking after Sethe's third child, Howard and Buglar, her preaching at the Clearing, falling depressed and her death. She was also a caring woman who took care of Sethe when she needed her. Beloved would also then be dynamic as when she returns, she becomes malevolent and mistreats Sethe.
For more information on classifying characters, click here.
CHARACTER
Characters in the Novel
Classifying Characters
The Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is the main character of a story experiencing a conflict and has a goal. An antagonist is someone, or somthing, preventing the protagonist's goal.Protagonist
Sethe
Sethe's past as a slave is dark and traumatizing. She is constantly reminded of memories murdering her daughter and of the abuse she suffered as a slave lives. Sethe spends her life trying to forget her past so she can move on. Her attempts to wipe away these memories can be seen from her ignorance of the obvious evidence that Beloved is the daughter she killed out of motherly love and mercy.
Antagonists
Round and Flat Characters
Round characters are characters which are complex and realistic. Flat characters are characters which lack realistic personality.Round
Dynamic and Static Characters
A dynamic character changes significantly during the course of the story. Such changes include changes in insight, understanding, commitment and values. A static character does not make any significant changes.Dynamic
Classifying Beloved as a Character
Classifying Beloved as a round character depends on the reader's perception on Beloved and who, and what, she really is. There are many ways of interpreting Beloved. According to the narrative by Sethe and Denver, she is Sethe's third child (the child Sethe killed). Then there is the other question the reader accepts her as a character, a human being. To come to a conclusion, we can know look at the criteria used to classify a character.Round vs Flat
Do we know a lot about Beloved? Is her character complex? Is her character realistic?No. the reader is never truly informed of Beloved's background and personality, but through other characters' speculations.
Dynamic vs Static
Does Beloved change significantly throughout the novel?She does not change throughout the novel. Moreover, we are given no indication of what her thoughts are (with the exception of the 2 chapters of Beloved's monologue), so we do no know whether she has developed as a character. Some may argue that a supernatural being would not be capable of thinking as humans do.
In my interpretation, Beloved is not a character for the reasons above. She is more of an enigmatic figure, forcing the reader to speculate her true identity. I think it is too vague to classify her as a character. However, an indicidual may classify Beloved as a character if they are convinced of her identity.
For example, if the reader believes Beloved is Baby Suggs brought back to life, she could be classified as round and dynamic. First of all, we already know a lot about Baby Sugg's life - Sweet Home, Halle buying her freedom, 124 Bluestone, looking after Sethe's third child, Howard and Buglar, her preaching at the Clearing, falling depressed and her death. She was also a caring woman who took care of Sethe when she needed her. Beloved would also then be dynamic as when she returns, she becomes malevolent and mistreats Sethe.
For more information on classifying characters, click here.